Marlins pitcher Fernandez dies in boating accident

MIAMI: Miami Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez, who was once jailed in his native Cuba for trying to defect, died early Sunday in a boating accident in Miami Beach, the Major League Baseball team announced. The Marlins’ game against the Atlanta Braves scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Miami was cancelled. Fernandez was one of three people killed in the accident, in which the 32-foot vessel had a “severe impact” with a jetty, authorities said. The Coast Guard discovered the overturned boat around 3:30 am (07:30 GMT). The boat carrying Fernandez and two others was traveling at a high speed when it slammed into rocks, authorities said. Fernandez did not drown but rather was killed as a result of the impact, officials added. Fernandez announced on Instagram last week that his girlfriend is pregnant.